National Canoe Day is today. Summer has arrived, and it is a perfect time for a canoe ride. Take a canoe out on your favorite waterway on this June 26 holiday, and enjoy the peace and serenity. And, get a little healthy exercise along the way.

Canoes have been around for thousands of years, and have been used by countless cultures around the world. The earliest were dugout canoes made from the trunk of a single tree. They were made as early as 7,600 – 8,200 BC and found in the Netherlands. Carib Indians of the Caribbean first made dugout canoes around 3,500 B.C. They carved out logs and used the canoes to travel between islands. The word canoe originates from the word “kenu” in their native language.

Celebrating this day is a real pleasure. Simply go out in a canoe onto a lake or stream. Take a leisurely ride, and enjoy the scenery. Don’t rush… take your time. You’ll return calm and relaxed after a memorable experience.

Safety first! Make sure to wear an approved life jacket while out on the water. This writer is here today because I had a life jacket on when our canoe tipped over in a fast-running creek.

Song of the Day: Tippy Canoe and Tyler Too. Popular 1840 presidential campaign song, originally called “Tip and Ty”, for Whig party candidate William Henry Harrison.

Today is Ballpoint Pen Day, a June 10 holiday. We use them just about every day. Most of us have several or even dozens of them around our home and office. They are a common, everyday object.  We might even have one tucked between our ear and head right now. But, let’s not take ballpoint pens for granted. The invention of the ballpoint pen in 1943, can be counted among the great inventions of the 20th century. It’s right up there, with the invention of canned beer! Without it, we would still be using a messy fountain pen, or frequently dipping a quill into an ink jar.

On this day in 1943, brothers Laslo and Georg Biro of Argentina filed a patent for ballpoint pens. Other inventors were working on making a ballpoint pen. The Biro brothers were the first to succeed. The ballpoint pen was originally called a “Birome”. Ballpoint pens hit the U.S. market in 1945 at Gimbel’s department store, selling for $12.50 each!! It became an instant success and the rest is history. The Biro brothers sold their patent to Bic.

Name Your Poison Day is today. This June 8 holiday prompts us to make a choice. The term “Name Your Poison” is commonly used to suggest that you select among several options. Most often we hear it when a bartender asks what we want to drink. But, this expression can be used in a wide variety of decision-making situations. This term also can have a negative connotation when deciding upon unfavorable options. 

The origin of this term is unknown. But, at the time, it probably originated when it was necessary to make an unhappy choice. It is commonly used when asking someone what type of alcoholic drink they want. But, it is also used to refer to any choice of options, good or bad. For example, “Name Your Poison” may refer to selecting an ice cream flavor, a dessert choice, etc.  

Life is sometimes too formal and stiff, too serious. We all need a little time to cut loose, act a little goofy, and just fool around. Today is a day to “Go Ape!” Put aside your troubles and worries. Throw off the shackles of stress on everyday living. Lock up your inhibitions in a safe, or a drawer. For today is hereby declared Monkey Around Day! Seriously, this June 14 holiday is a time NOT to be taken seriously. So, let’s all go a little bananas.

Monkeys are clever, intelligent, and social creatures. While they can’t talk orally to us, they are capable of learning numbers and recognize the alphabet. They even solve puzzles. People young and old have a fascination with them.

We all need a day (and probably more than one) to just monkey around and goof off, doing anything that comes to mind. It can and should be a little silly. It can be inane. Or, you can do something wild, crazy, or whimsical. Do something you’ve always wanted to do, but sensibility held you back. In other words, go out and have some untamed fun! Tomorrow, you will be glad that you did.

Movie of the Day: Planet of the Apes. But which one? The answer is easy… every one in the series!

Favorite Band: If they could talk, they would tell you that their favorite band is The Monkees.

Log Cabin Day brings you back to a quieter, simpler, more rugged era. A couple of hundred years ago, life was far more rugged. Americans moving West (west at the time may have been Ohio or Tennessee) found an untouched wilderness, filled with pristine forests. They built their homes out of logs from the plentiful and majestic forests. This rugged frontier lodgings, inns, and meeting places were solid, long-lasting, and served them well.

Life was rustic and simple. Heat was provided by an open fireplace, where they also cooked their meals. Need air conditioning in the summer? Just open the window (there wasn’t any glass or screening). There was no electricity (no television, stereos or boom boxes blasting, or computers). And, plumbing? Just look back towards the woods at the outhouse. The path to it is well-worn.

This holiday celebrates what was then the “Modern” home in America, and all of the lifestyle that accompanied it. Today is a day to appreciate the history and significance of log cabins. Visit them at historical museums today, or sometime this summer.

Seven early U.S. Presidents were born in log cabins. They are: 

• Andrew Jackson
• Zachary Taylor
• Millard Fillmore
• James Buchanan
• Abraham Lincoln
• Ulysses S. Grant
• James Garfield

Got something that’s bothering you? Perhaps it’s been this way for a long time. Don’t worry, be happy. Today is Let it Go Day, the perfect opportunity to shed your worries and concerns. You’re guaranteed to feel better at the end of this June 23 holiday, than you felt when you woke up today. Each time you let something go today, you’ll instantly feel better and better. As you let things go  

We’ve all got things that bug us, regrets, and things we wish would just stop bothering us. Perhaps, you feel bad or guilty about something you did or didn’t do. You may be holding on to a relationship that has ended, hoping the flame will somehow be rekindled. Maybe, you’ve been hoping against hope for some specific thing to happen, even though you know it will never come to pass. At times, we’ve all had problems or issues that eat away at us and make us feel bad.

Are you still saying to yourself “If only I had….” Whatever it is, simply cut it loose….. let it go.

Today is the time to free yourself and shed those problems and regrets from your mind and soul. Just let it go. Go ahead, give it a try. When you do, you will be so relieved. You’ll find peace, comfort, and contentment. And tonight, you will sleep better than you have in a long, long time. 

May all of your troubles be gone with the wind on Let it Go Day!!

Don’t be alarmed and push the panic button just yet. But, this is a day you may want to spend with your head in the sand. Today is International Panic Day, a day for everyone to look to with dread and dismay. We’re not sure what is so big, and so widespread, to create an international incident of this magnitude.  But, here it is on the calendar folks, an international day of hysteria and terror. If you’re like the rest of us, you’ll probably spend today running around in circles or pretending to be an ostrich.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling! This is not the only day to be panicked. The month of March also has another Panic Day. There certainly is a lot to worry about in our lives. You never know, a huge asteroid in space might be hurtling toward us as you read this. Or, aliens could be landing somewhere right this minute.

Today is International Yoga Day, as declared by the United Nations. This June 21 holiday encourages us to join the millions of people who already know the benefits of this ancient exercise. Yoga certainly has proved its worth and value over eons of time. Yoga originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Now that’s staying power!

Yoga is a combination of mental, physical, and spiritual exercise. It helps to relax you and to lower blood pressure. I’m all for that!

Celebrating this day is easy… just put your yoga mat down on the floor, and begin your exercise.

International Widows Day is a United Nations sponsored day. This June 23 holiday is a day of action., encouraging countries and organizations to strive to eliminate poverty and injustice suffered by millions of widows and their dependents around the world. We may not see it so much in the United States, but it is a serious problem most often seen in impoverished and developing countries.

The UN resolution called upon “Member States, the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, to give special attention to the situation of widows and their children.”It is easy to forget the plight of widows, especially in underdeveloped countries where the male is most often the sole source of income.  Without him, his family likely ends up forgotten and in the street.

Today is International Waterfall Day, a June 16 holiday. Pity the person who lives in arid and desert regions. They miss out on the beautiful and plentiful waterfalls that are found all over the world. From water falling a few inches to a foot or more over rocks in a babbling brook, to the thundering cascade of Niagara Falls, people all over the world are absolutely enthralled by waterfalls. The power and sound of the crashing water thrill and amaze onlookers. Each waterfall is unique and beautiful in its own way. Each waterfall has its own character, and no two are quite alike. 

Waterfalls put on a show all year long, as the water is crashing and cascading over and down the rocks of the falls at a rapid rate. Waterfall displays are at their best in the spring, when melting snow and spring rains flood the rivers and streams that feed them. Some small waterfalls dry up completely during summer droughts. A temporarily dry waterfall may be of interest, but it does not captivate us as it does when water is rushing over a cliff in a vivid and sheer vertical drop, sending up an endless shower of mist at the bottom of the falls. 

Throughout history, humans have been drawn to settle near water and waterfalls. The inescapable lure is understandable. In addition to providing water to drink and bathe, the water provides fishing for both food and sport. Waterfalls are an endless supply of environmentally green energy. They powered sawmills and flour mills long before electricity was invented. The power of the rushing water turns hydroelectric generators, producing clean energy. Waterfalls attract throngs of tourists and a revenue stream from tourism.